Held
by DarkHairedDreamer
Summary: In his arms she'll stay.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

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Katara can never explain how she felt when Aang holds her. She's never been one for affectionate gestures, but his warm, strong arms become her fortress - her comfort. The feel of the lithe limbs he snakes around her waist at unexpceted times, the dizzying rush she gets when he intertwines their fingers, the caress of his calloused thumb against her cheek as he kisses her so soundly she can't think straight.

_(line break)_

Somedays Aang pulls her away from everyone, grinning madly at her every now and then as she follows him along through the town.

"Where are we going?" she asks him, struggling to keep up with his lively pace. He smiles deviously at her, before running back and bending down to meet her gaze.

"You'll see."

And she finds her fingers entwined with his.

_(line break)_

There are nights when she wakes up screaming, salty tears streaming down her face because of nightmares. Through her sobs, she hears faint padded footsteps in the hallway and soon after she feels the pressure on the mattress when he'd climb onto her bed. She'd feel him wrap his arms around her shaking form, smoothing down her tousled hair and rubbing her back soothingly, all the while whispering soft words of comfort in her ear. He'd pull her onto his lap untill the sobs subsided - shirt soaked with tears and arms aching from rocking her - but never letting go until she was snuggled into his chest, asleep. He never leaves her room when she's like that; merely pulls the covers over the both of them and keeps her close, like a teddy bear.

_(line break)_

"Hey, Aang?"

"...Hmm?"

"Do you think it will always be like this?"

They're laying in the grass with her head on his chest - his arm securely wrapped around her as they watch the sunset. They've managed to escape from the never ending meetings and officials that always seem to take up their time. Aang rubs her arm affectionately, pondering her question as he stares up at the clouds that float by.

"I don't know" He replies softly. "Life is like a river - always flowing, always changing. Nothing ever stays the same."

She doesn't say anything after that, but from her silence, he can tell that she's unsure of what's to come. How very much like Katara. To worry about things that could be.

"You should know something, Katara." He starts, smiling up at the sky. "You should know that my love for you will never change." And he kisses the top of her head.

_(line break)_

It's nights after Aang has saved a whole province or has performed some great feat that she feels like she's not good enough for him. She looks down at her hands in her lap as they fly back on Appa. But when he asks her to sit next to him on Appa's reigns just to hold her hand, she realizes that he needs her as much as she needs him.

_(line break)_

Katara rubs her hands together furiously as the air turns slowly frigid around her. She blows into her cold digits, scooting closer to the campfire in an effort to get warm.

"I'm back with some food." Aang appears from behind a bush with a sack of berries before stopping at the sight of his shivering girl.

"Katara, why are you shaking?" He asks worriedly and rushes to her side to put a hand on her forehead. He drips the sack in the process, spilling out a few berries onto the ground. _What a waste_, she thinks.

"Are you sick?"

"N-No." She replies and grits her teeth to keep them from chattering. _I can't be sick. _"Just c-cold." His hand feels oddly warm against her forehead.

"I think you're sick, 'Tara." He states softly, placing his strong arms around her and lifting her up, standing to his full height.

"N-Not sick." She protests weakly. She hates having to be held and carried like she can't help herself. But he's much stronger (and taller) than she is now, and she feels so cozy pressed against his chest that she decides to swallow her pride and let him hold her, burying herself further into his embrace. Aang chuckles softly as he airbends his way onto Appa's back and places her gently down in the saddle before searching through their packs for warm covers.

He covers Katara with massive amounts of blankets and nestles up to her - pulling her back to his chest and wrapping an arm securely around her waist. His hand intertwines his fingers with hers as he plants kiss on the back of her head.

"Katara?" He asks quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Your hands are cold."

Silence.

"You know what the say about cold hands?"

"What?" She replies weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"The colder the hands, the warmer the heart." He smiles against her hair.

"And you've got the warmest heart I know."

_Perhaps it's not so bad being held._

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**Haven't published anything in a while. This was kinda ehh. Hope it was good though! I've been so busy with school and life. Hopefully I'll have more stories up because of Spring Break! **

**Read & Review. **

**If you please. **


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